Condolences and Casseroles

Host Katie Radel welcomes T. Shardé—mom of four, entrepreneur, author, and suicide prevention advocate—who shares the story of losing her mother to suicide and what helped her survive the earliest days, including a “perfect stranger” on the Healing Conversations hotline who offered silence, listened without judgment, and later shared his own loss. Shardé reflects on choosing forgiveness to reduce blame within her family, the practical ways community showed up with food, school supplies, and unexpected resources, and how grief can hit unexpectedly, like when Luther Vandross songs remind her of her mom. She explains how her loss led her to keynote speaking about kindness and hope, why impact matters more than crowd size, and how grief requires active participation, support, and ongoing care. The episode includes a suicide content warning and shares the 988 Lifeline.00:00 Welcome To The Show00:41 Suicide Content Warning00:59 Meet T Sharde02:42 Remembering Her Mom03:47 Forgiveness After Suicide08:30 The Perfect Stranger Call12:49 How To Show Up16:43 Grief Triggers And Music18:38 Turning Loss Into Keynotes21:10 Impact Over Audience Size27:29 Texting Mom And Legacy30:01 Grief Takes Participation32:59 Does Grief Ever End34:56 Proud Of Her Mom38:07 Where To Find Sharde38:48 Resources And Farewell

Host Katie Radel welcomes death doula and end-of-life coach Leigh Ann Roberts to discuss non-medical end-of-life support, facilitating family conversations, and honoring a person’s vision for dying. Leigh Ann shares how becoming her mother Cynthia’s “conversational companion” led to discussing death plans through small aesthetic questions, and describes being with her mother in her final moments. They talk about how fatigue, family dynamics, and missing parts of the “story of the death” can complicate grief, and why gathering again about a month after the funeral helps families integrate what happened. Leanne reflects on unhelpful condolences like “call me if you need anything,” gestures that truly supported her, a sticky-note reminder—“I’m grieving as fast as I can”—and meaningful signs, including a “hope” box linked to the term “hope chest.”00:00 Welcome to the Show00:42 Meet the Death Doula01:18 What Death Doulas Do02:27 Cynthia’s Story04:14 Being There at the End06:23 When It’s Your Mom08:35 Pre Grieving Explained10:40 One Month After15:33 Starting the Death Plan19:57 The Condolences Problem21:50 Grief’s Quiet Aftermath24:12 Support That Helps25:38 I’m Grieving as Fast28:10 Hope Chest Legacy32:31 Magic Moments at Death36:01 What Cards Should Say38:14 Comfort Food Finale39:15 Where to Find Leanne41:14 Closing Thoughts

In the first episode of Condolences and Casseroles, host Katie Radel explains why the show exists: to talk about what happens after the sympathy cards, flowers, and casseroles stop. She shares a moment in a busy vet lobby when a woman mentioned her son Adam, who died two years earlier that day, and how simply asking his name opened space for grief and relief. Drawing on her upbringing in a third-generation funeral home and her career in PR, Katie explores how grief is invisible, long-lasting, and often avoided because people fear saying the wrong thing. She offers practical ways to “go off script,” like asking and using a loved one’s name, remembering anniversaries, and offering specific help, and outlines the podcast’s focus on honest conversations about the “after.”00:00 Welcome to the Show00:42 Vet Lobby Grief Moment02:54 Why This Podcast Exists04:07 The Sympathy Script Ends06:07 Invisible Bricks of Grief08:20 Ask Their Name09:48 How to Show Up Better11:30 Growing Up Funeral Home14:04 Lessons Death Taught Me15:39 My Own Grief Too16:29 What to Expect Each Episode18:02 Final Takeaway Keep Showing Up19:41 Closing and Subscribe

Condolences and Casseroles: Everything the Card Couldn't Say. Katie Radel introduces “Condolences and Casseroles,” a show about grief and loss that focuses on what sympathy cards don’t cover. Drawing on her childhood growing up in a funeral home and a career spent helping people find words for high-stakes moments, she explains the show isn’t about grieving the “right” way, but about the quiet after the cards and casseroles are gone, when others return to their lives and the bereaved are left without a script. The episode sets the tone for honest conversations, including dark humor and delayed waves of grief, with no tidy endings or platitudes—just permission to say out loud what loss actually does to us.00:00 Welcome to the Show00:41 When the Food Stops01:20 Standing Where Scripts End01:37 What This Series Promises